Protective eyewear with at least one ventilation channel

ABSTRACT

Safety eyewear is presented which is provided with particulate sealing around a frame containing lens/lenses and having temples that provide adjustment of the eyewear to a pantoscopic angle. The eyewear is provided with an adjustable strap assembly for better fit to the wearer&#39;s head. The eyewear lens/frame includes a plurality of projections that define various pantoscopic angles. The temple end piece includes a set of recesses that engage the projections formed on the lens/frame which temple end piece is rotated relative to the lens/frame to set the pantoscopic angle. The adjustable strap assembly further adjust the fit of the eyewear and can be unbuckled for snaplocked attachment of the eyewear directly to other safety equipment such as noise suppression ear muffs, communication head phones, breathing masks and the like. A plurality of ventilation channels is disposed on the frame to provide indirect ventilation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/641,901 filedMay 2, 1996, now abandoned, application Ser. No. 08/770,920, filed Dec.20, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,267, application Ser. No. 08/806,595,filed Feb. 26, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,446, and Ser. No.08/806,832, filed Feb. 26, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,455.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to eyewear. More particularly, thisinvention relates both to plano (that is non corrective or zero power)and prescription eyewear for use in safety and recreational applications(i.e., sports and/or hostile environments) with adjustable strap templeswhich optionally permit the secure attachment of other safety equipmentsuch as ear muffs or head phones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Protective eyewear, both prescription and plano (that is non correctiveor zero power) is available in the market place for both safety andrecreational (i.e., sports) applications. Such eyewear is exemplified inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/641,901 filed May 2, 1996, which isassigned to the assignee hereof, all of the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. This eyewear comprises a pair ofspectacles which includes a lens attached to a pair of temples. The lenshas a surface which is created by rotating an aspheric shape about anaxis which is offset from an axis of the aspheric shape. Preferably, theaspheric shape is an ellipse and more preferably the resultant lens willhave a cross-section in the horizontal meridian which is a segment of anellipse and a cross-section in the vertical meridian which is a segmentof a circle. This lens exhibits a high degree of wrap and so providesextensive protection without the need for side shields.

Of course, many other prior art protective eyewear is known, all of theeyewear generally utilizing a pair of rigid or semi-rigid temples whichextend outwardly from the lenses or a lens frame. Examples of otherprotective spectacles of this type include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,867,550;4,741,611; 4,674,851; 4,859,048; 5,381,192 and 5,032,017, all of thecontents of these patents being incorporated herein by reference.

One perceived problem not addressed by the prior art is that the priorart protective spectacles do not sufficiently protect the eyes fromparticulates that exist in dusty, dirty work environments. This dustyand dirty problem is also present for some sport environments.Currently, it is known that most common eye injuries in the industrialworkplace are a result of these aforementioned particulates entering thearea immediately adjacent to the eye. Therefore, there is a perceivedneed to develop eyewear that will keep particulate matter away from theeye. Additionally, in hostile environments, there is often a need towear safety eyewear in conjunction with other safety equipment such asnoise suppression ear muffs or communication head phones withoutdisrupting the particulate seal of the eyewear or the seal of the othersafety device or devices. Therefore, there is an additionally perceivedneed for a method of attachment of the eyewear to other safety gearwithout affecting the seals of the individual safety items as ispresently unavoidable with prior art temples associated with prior artsafety and protective spectacles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies are overcome oralleviated by the eye wear of the present invention. An eye wear havinga frame, a lens defeatably attached to the frame and a strap assembly isdisclosed. The frame and lens form at least one opening to allowventilation. A resilient flange is provided along the periphery of theframe. In one embodiment, a plurality of L-shaped channels are providedto provide indirect ventilation. An end piece having a cylindricalextension defeatably attaches the strap, lens and frame. A head disposedon the cylindrical extension rotates to contact the frame and urge theouter periphery of the lens against a protrusion on the frame to retainthe lens on the frame.

The above-discussed and other features and advantages of the presentinvention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the artfrom the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the Figures wherein like elements are numbered alike in theseveral Figures:

FIGS. 1-6 are respective top plan view, front elevation view, left sideelevation view, right side elevation view, back elevation view andbottom plan views of the protective eyewear with adjustable strap inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevation cross-sectional view taken alongthe line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8A-8B are respective exploded enlarged top plan view and sideelevation views of the strap holding temple prior to assembly of theprotective eyewear with adjustable strap in accordance with the presentinvention of FIGS. 1-6;

FIG. 8C is an enlarged view of a portion of the protective eyewear lens;

FIGS. 9A-9B are respective partial exploded top plan view and sideelevation views of the connective buckle and strap portions of theadjustable strap in accordance with the present invention of FIGS. 1-6;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the protective eyewear with adjustablestrap of FIGS. 1-6 combined with a set of protective ear muffs and/orhead phones snap locked respectively to each ear muff and/or head phone;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the protective eyewear with adjustablestrap of FIGS. 1-6 combined with a set of protective ear muffs and/orhead phones snap locked to the headband of the protective ear muffsand/or head phones;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the protective eyewear in an alternativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the protective eyewear of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 15 is a front view of the frame of the device of FIG. 14 prior toassembly;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the frame prior to assembly;

FIG. 17 is a right side view of the frame prior to assembly;

FIG. 18 is an exploded view of channels disposed on the frame;

FIG. 19 is a top view of the frame with the resilient flange attachedthereto;

FIG. 20 is a rear view of the frame with the resilient flange attachedthereto;

FIG. 21 is a front view of the lens;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a slot disposed on the lens;

FIG. 23 is an exploded assembly view of the assembly of an end piece,lens and frame; and

FIG. 24 is a side view of a temple for use with the end piece in analternative embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring jointly to FIGS. 1-6, the protective eyewear with adjustablestrap is shown generally at 10. Device 10 is comprised of three mainsections including an eyewear lens 12 (shown generally in FIG. 5), apair of strap holding temples 14 and 16 (best shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and6), and an adjustable strap assembly 18 (best shown also in FIGS. 1 and6).

Lens 12 includes a resilient gasketing flange 22 which provides sealingaround the periphery of the lens 20. Gasketing 22 is preferably aresilient foam. Lenses 12 are preferably the unitary, piano lensesdepicted in FIGS. 13-15 of the aforementioned U.S. Ser. No. 08/641,901.However, it will be appreciated that lenses 12 may consist of any othersuitable protective lenses (having an alternative shape) including butnot limited to the lenses depicted in FIGS. 1-6 and 11-12 of U.S. Ser.No. 08/641,901 or the lenses in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos.4,867,550; 4,741,611; 4,674,851; 4,859,048; 5,381,192 and 5,032,017.Similarly, while in the preferred embodiment of the invention, no framesare provided for lenses 12, alternatively, the present invention mayinclude a frame surrounding all or a portion of the lenses.

As discussed in detail in aforementioned U.S. Ser. No. 08/641,901, lens12 is preferably a piano lens wherein the plano lens comprises a frontsurface curvature which is created by rotating an aspheric shape aboutan axis which is offset from an axis of the aspheric shape. In apreferred embodiment, the aspheric shape is an ellipse or at least is anaspheric shape, a segment of which has an elliptical arc. Thiselliptical arc is rotated about an axis spaced (offset) some distancefrom a major or minor axis of the ellipse. In a more preferredembodiment, the ellipse is rotated about an axis spaced from andparallel to the major or minor axis of the ellipse, but in the sameplane as the ellipse. The resulting surface of this preferred lensconfiguration will have a cross-section in the horizontal meridian whichis a segment of an ellipse, and a cross-section in the vertical meridianwhich is a segment of a circle. A significant feature of the preferredlens configuration is that the surface generated is rotationallysymmetric. Additionally, while plastic lenses are preferred, eyewearmade of safety glass or any other suitable material can be utilized inconformance with this invention.

Resilient flange 22 may be comprised of one or a plurality of stripswhich are adhesively applied along the periphery of lenses 12 or may bedirectly molded onto the lens. The flange 22 may be a single strip inwhich case it can be run along the entire periphery of the lensincluding those portions of the nosepiece and the hinge. Preferably,however, as shown in FIG. 7, the flange is broken at the hinges of thetemples for ease of closing the temples during storage (the flange mayalso be broken at the nosepiece as shown in FIG. 5 since it may not berequired in that area).

The foam flange 22 provides an important feature and advantage to theeyewear of the present invention. In particular, the foam flange 22tends to minimize the probability of exposure of the wearer's eyes toparticulates in a dusty, dirty work environment and/or in a similardirty or dusty sports environment such as on a beach. Currently, themost common eye injury in the industrial workplace is the result ofparticulates in the eye. The use of the foam flange 22 willsubstantially reduce those incidences of eye damage caused by floatingparticulates for people who wear the eyewear of FIGS. 1-6. Of course asmentioned, the foam flange depicted in FIGS. 1-6 could also be used inconnection with protective eyewear having a frame. Still another featureprovided by the resilient flange of the present invention is that theflange, particularly by tailoring the softness and other characteristicsof the foam, will improve the wearer's comfort, especially when theeyewear of this invention is worn for long periods of time.

The eyewear of the present invention allows the user to hold the eyewearsecurely to the head by means of a unique adjustable strap or to usethis adjustable strap to conveniently and securely attach the eyewear toanother piece of safety equipment such as noise suppression ear muffs orcommunication head phones. FIGS. 8A-8B and FIG. 7 show the adjustablestrap holding element 28. Strap holding element 28 includes a templehinge 32. The temple hinge 32 is pivotally coupled to the end piece 24(shown best in FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-8B) with a pin 34 (best seen in FIG.8B) inserted through hinge element 36 to form a pivotable joint betweenend piece 24 and strap holding element 28. The pivotable joint betweenend piece 24 and strap holding element 28 allows the temples 14,16 tofold one upon the other to enable the eyewear to take up minimum spacewhen eyewear 10 is stored or not in use. This pivotal joint also acts toenhance the fit of the eyewear to the user's head by appropriatelyconforming the strap and eyewear as required. The material used for endpiece 24 and strap holding element 28 is preferably a suitable moldableplastic. In a preferred embodiment, strap holding temples 14, 16 areconnected directly to the upper, outer edges of the lens 12 (best seenin FIG. 7). Of course, as already mentioned it will be appreciated thatlens 12 could just as well be connected to a frame instead of directlyto a lens; in which case temples 14, 16 could be attached either to thelenses or to the frame.

The end piece 24 includes a post shown generally at 102 including acylindrical neck 104 and a head 106. The end piece 24 includes recesses26 that engage projections 52 formed on the exterior surface of the lens12 (shown in FIG. 8D). A groove 108 is formed in the head 106 and aportion of the neck 104. The groove 108 has a v-shape where the width ofthe groove at one end is greater than the width of the groove at theother end. It is understood that alternative geometries may be used forgroove 108. The groove 108 is formed generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of head 106 and extends across the entire head 106.

As shown in FIG. 8C, the lens 12 includes a slot 50 and projections 52which cooperate with the end piece 24 to provide adjustment of thepantoscopic angle of the eyewear. Slot 50 is generally oval shaped andhas a center circular area 51. Projections 52 are formed on the surfaceof the lens 12 and extend away from the lens surface. The recesses 26engage projections 52 formed on lens 12. It is understood thatprojections may be formed on the end piece 24 and recesses formed in thelens 12.

The end piece 24 is coupled to the lens 12 by inserting the post 102through slot 50 and rotating the end piece 24. To adjust the pantoscopicangle of the eyewear, the wearer rotates the end piece 24 and aligns onepair of the recesses 26 with the projections 52 formed on the lens 12.The groove 108 allows the distal ends 110 and 112 along the longitudinalaxis of the head 106 to flex away from the lens 12. This allows the endpiece 24 to rotate within the lens 12 more easily. This is particularlyuseful when the end piece 24 is first rotated upon insertion of the endpiece into the lens 12 and when the pantoscopic angle is adjusted. Theend piece 24 is made from a resilient material and the distal ends 110and 112 of the head 106 apply pressure to the lens 13 and hold the endpiece 24 at the desired pantoscopic angle.

The pantoscopic angle features of the present invention are preferablyidentical to the pantascopic angle features of commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 08/770,920 filed Dec. 20, 1996 (all of thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference) except that thetemple length adjustment housing 70 and temple tip 80 are replaced bythe strap holding elements 28 and strap assembly 18 in the presentinvention.

Therefore, reference is made to the application U.S. Ser. No. 08/770,920for a additional details of the pantoscopic angle feature. Thepantoscopic adjustment features assure for snug and comfortable fitespecially when the protective eyewear of the present invention iscombined with other safety devices.

Strap holding element 28 has a smooth loop 38 sized to accept adjustablestrap assembly 18. Adjustable strap assembly 18 (see FIGS. 9A-9B) iscomprised of a right hand buckle and strap assembly generally shown at40 and a left hand buckle and strap assembly generally shown at 42.Right hand buckle and strap assembly 40 is comprised of a suitablelength of strap 44 and a snap-in female portion of buckle 46. Likewise,left hand buckle assembly 42 is comprised of a suitable length of strap48, the male portion of snap-in buckle 50 which mates with the femaleportion of buckle 46 and a known strap tightening fastener 52 foradjusting the left hand strap 48 to the desired position for a securemounting of the eyewear on a person's head to assure a snug andcomfortable fit.

Strap portion 44 and strap portion 48 are suitably sized as is known inthe industry and is preferably of known stretchable materials. Halfbuckle 46 and half buckle 50 and strap tightening fastener 52 arecommercially available and should be of such material and finish asrequired by the environment where used. Both half buckle 46 and halfbuckle 50 have known snap connectors that snap into detents that existon the outside of the safety ear muffs, head phones or any other safetydevice used in conjunction with the present invention eyewear.

It should be noted that strap 48 is longer than strap 44 because theextra length of strapping is needed to provide adequate adjustment ofthe adjustable strap assembly 18. It should be further noted that theend 104 of right hand strap 44 is folded over the loop 106 of buckle(half 46 and extends a suitable distance and is assembled to a portionof strap 44 by known methods such as adhesives, welding or other knownmeans.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the protective eyewear with adjustablestrap 10 of FIGS. 1-6 in accordance with the present invention showncombined with a set of noise protective ear muffs and/or head phonesgenerally shown at 56. Right hand buckle and strap assembly 40 has beenunbuckled from left hand buckle and strap assembly 42. This allows righthand buckle and strap assembly 40 to be snap lockedly secured to theright ear muff of protective ear muff and/or head phones 56 and,likewise, left hand buckle and strap assemble 42 to be snap lockedlysecured to the left ear muff of protective ear muff and/or head phones56. Its can be seen that this arrangement provides for a secure andcomfortable fit without breaking the seal of the protective ear muffs aswould be the case with ordinary protective eyewear equipped withconventional temples. It should be further noted that other protectivegear such as a breathing mask could be added to this arrangement with noproblems. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 11 the protectiveeyewear is snap lockedly secured to the headband 58 of the protectiveear muff and/or head phones 56. It is understood that the protectiveeyewear 10 can be snap lockedly secured to any portion of the protectivegear as long as the spatial relationship between the eyes and otherportions of the wearer's head are maintained.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the protective eyewear in an alternativeembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the major portions ofthe protective eyewear are similar to those described above. Inparticular, the lens 12, temples 14, 16 and adjustable strap assembly 18are the same as those described above with references to FIGS. 1-6. Thegasketing 22, however, has been removed. FIG. 13 is a rear view of theprotective eyewear of FIG. 12. The above described advantages of thetemples 14 and 16 and the adjustable strap assembly 18 are stillprovided by the protective eyewear shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, an anti-fogcoating is applied to the inner surface of lenses 12 to enhance opticalviewing. In the past, attempts to create such seal against particulatematter entry to the eye area have failed because of inability of theprior art to resolve the problem of fogging when the eyewear was wornfor any length of time. Of course, any suitable anti-fog coating can beused in accordance with this invention; however a preferred anti-fogcoating is commercially sold by Aearo Corporation of Southbridge, Mass.under the DX trademark.

Referring now to FIG. 14, another embodiment of the device is generallyshown at 200. Device 200 includes lens 202, frame 204 and an adjustablestrap assembly 18. It is to be appreciated that the adjustable strapassembly 18 is of the type previously described herein. Frame 204includes opposed sides 208 and 210. Lens 202 is retained on side 208 andresilient flange 212 (FIGS. 19 and 20) is attached to side 210. Frame204 includes a plurality of ventilation channels 214 to allowventilation into the device during use to prevent fogging of lens 202and to provide comfort for the user. A lip 216 is provided alongportions of frame 204 to prevent dust and other unwanted particles fromentering device 200 during use.

Referring now FIGS. 15-18, side 208 receives lens 202 and faces awayfrom the user during use. Side 208 includes opposed protrusions 218 and220 disposed at bridge portion 222 to locate and retain lens 202 on side208. Temple portions 224 and 226 include upper and lower protrusions 228and 230 which locate lens 202 on side 208 and retain lens 202 by thecontact of head portions 232 which face inward over lens 202 whenassembled. Frame 204 is preferably made of plastic and is resilient forease of assembly. Preferably, protrusions 218 and 220 also include headportions 232 which fit over lens 202 to assist in a precise fit.

Frame 204 includes openings 234 and 236. A contoured lip 216 is disposedalong part ofthe upper portion 238 and lower portion 240 of side 208.Lip 216 extends outward from side 208 and tapers to its top 242. Lens202 rests against lip 216 at its outer periphery along a portion of itstop and bottom. A plurality of ventilation channels 214 are formed alonginner side 244 of lip 216 and surface 246 of side 208. Preferablyventilation channels 214 comprise L-shaped recesses disposed alongsurface 246 of side 208 and inner side 244 of lip 216. The L-shape ofventilation channels 214 provides indirect ventilation to the face (andeyes) when device 200 is worn. Ventilation channels 214 include recessedwalls 248 and surface 246 which are separated by divider walls 250.Similarly recessed walls 252 are separated by divider walls 253. Thus,air may enter from side 208 of frame 204 when lens 202 is assembled toframe 204 by entering ventilation channel 214 at recessed wall 252 andthen traveling generally along recessed wall 248. Thus, ventilationoccurs indirectly. In this manner, dust and other particles cannot fallbetween the lens 202 and the wearer's face because lip 216 extendsbeyond lens 202. Thus, ventilation is achieved while protection fromdust and unwanted particles is optimized. It will be appreciated tothose of ordinary skill in the art from reading this disclose that theprecise shape of the opening may be varied to allow for indirectventilation.

Each temple portion 224 and 226 includes an arcuate body portion 254connecting upper temple portion 256 and lower temple portion 258.Arcuate body portions 254 include inner arcuate surfaces 260. Asdescribed in more detail below, inner arcuate surfaces 260 form adefeatable attaclunent together with head 106 of end piece 24 on strapassembly 18. As head 106 is turned, it contacts arcuate surface 260 toforce respective ends 300 and 302 of lens 202 against respectiveprotrusions 228 and 230 to retain lens 202 onto side 208 by the contactof lens 202 against protrusions 228 and 230 (and respective heads 232).

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, frame 204 is preferably contoured toconform to the pantoscopic angle of the eyewear. Resilient flange 212 isattached to side 210 of frame 204, preferably with an adhesive.Resilient flange 212 extends from temple portion 224 along top portion262 of frame 204 to temple portion 226. Gasket 212 is also attached longbottom portion 264 and contours with frame 204 at nose portion 266 fromtemple portion 224 to temple portion 226. The resilient flange ispositioned at the nose portion 266 thereby eliminating the need for aseparate nose piece.

Referring now to FIGS. 21-23, lens 202 of the type previously describedherein includes slots 304 disposed adjacent ends 300 and 302. Slot 304is generally oval shaped and includes a center circular area 305.Projections 308 are formed on the surface of lens 202 and extend awayfrom the lens surface (recesses 26 in end piece 24 as describedpreviously engage projections 308 when head 106 is rotated in theassembled position). To assemble device 200, head 106 (on end piece 24of strap assembly 18) is inserted through slot 304. Lens 204 is placedon side 208 of frame 204 so that it is contained within protrusions 328and 330, 218 and 220 and lip 216. As head 106 is turned it nestlesagainst arcuate body portion 254 along inner arcuate surface 260. Ashead 106 is rotated to be fully aligned with arcuate surface 260 (andthereby place projections 308 within recesses 26 of end piece 24) atoggle action is formed between the contact of head 106 against arcuatebody portion 254 at arcuate surface 260 which urges the contact of ends300 and 302 of lens 202 against projections 228 and 230 at each templeportion 224 and 226. By rotating head 106 back to an unaligned position,the toggle action is defeated and device 200 may be unassembled. Theadvantages of such an arrangement include the ability to replace lens202 as desired. Any degradation to the anti-fog coatings applied to lens202 caused by adhesively attaching flange 212 directly to lens 202 isavoided altogether. In addition, if the foam flange 212 becomes worn,the frame 204 alone may be replaced salvaging the lens 202. It will beappreciated to those of ordinary skill in the art from reading thisdisclosure that the precise method of attaching the end piece (for astrap or temple) may be varied to achieve a defeatable attachment of thelens, frame and strap assembly.

In another embodiment, a temple 500 as shown in FIG. 24 may be attachedto the end piece 24 as opposed to the strap holding element 28. Temple500 includes a hinge box 70 and a temple tip 80 and attaches to endpiece 24 through a hinge pin. Additional detail of the temple 500 isdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/806,832 the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference. It will be appreciated thatdevice 200 may also be secured to the head band of a protective ear muffand/or head phones as described above.

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, variousmodifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to beunderstood that the present invention has been described by way ofillustrations and not limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. Eyewear comprising:a frame having first andsecond sides, said first side having at least one ventilation channelformed therein; a resilient sealing flange attached to said second sideand along at least a portion of the periphery of said frame; and a lensdetachably coupled to said first side, said lens detachably receiving anend piece in a first position, wherein movement of said end piece to asecond position causes said end piece to contact said frame and urgesaid lens against said frame to produce a secure fit between said lensand said frame.
 2. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein:said ventilationchannel is a plurality of ventilation channels.
 3. Eyewear as in claim1, wherein:said ventilation channel is L-shaped.
 4. Eyewear as in claim1, wherein:said first side includes a lip extending outward therefrom,said lip being adjacent to the outer periphery of said lens when saidlens is attached to said frame.
 5. Eyewear as in claim 1, furthercomprising:a strap holding element hingedly attached to said end piece.6. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein:said first side of said frame includesa surface; and said ventilation channel is formed by a channel disposedon said surface.
 7. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein:said first sideincludes a lip extending outward therefrom, said lip being adjacent tothe outer periphery of said lens when said lens is attached to saidframe, said lip having a first surface adjacent to said outer periphery,said first side further including an outer surface; said ventilationchannel comprising two channel portions, a first channel portion beingdisposed on said first surface of said lip and a second channel portionbeing disposed on said outer surface of said first side, said firstchannel portion communicating with said second channel portion. 8.Eyewear as in claim 7, wherein:said ventilation channel is a pluralityof ventilation channels.
 9. Eyewear as in claim 1, further comprising:atemple hingedly attached to said eyewear.
 10. Eyewear as in claim 1,wherein the lens includes a pair of slots at ends thereof for receivingsaid end pieces for detachably coupling the end pieces to the lens. 11.Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein said first side of said frame includes afirst lip extending outward therefrom adjacent an upper periphery ofsaid first side and a second lip extending outward therefrom adjacent alower periphery of said first side, said first and second lips having afirst surface substantially perpendicular to said first side of saidframe, said first surface including a first ventilation channel formedtherein, said first ventilation channel communicating with a secondventilation channel formed in the first side of said frame, the firstand second ventilation channels being substantially perpendicular to oneanother.
 12. Eyewear comprising:a frame having first and second sides,said first side having at least one ventilation channel formed in saidfirst side, said frame including a lip extending outward from the firstside around an outer periphery of said frame; a resilient sealing flangeattached to said second side and along at least a portion of theperiphery of said frame; and a lens detachably coupled to said firstside of said frame, said lens detachably receiving an end piece, saidlens being received between said lip.
 13. Eyewear as in claim 12,wherein said lip includes a first surface having at least one secondventilation channel formed therein, said first surface being generallyperpendicular to said first side of said frame.